The Gathering at Avengers Tower
The strike force had splintered back into their respective groups, but for one evening, they gathered under one roof—Avengers Tower. Heroes from across the world crowded its great hall: X-Men seated alongside Fantastic Four, SHIELD officers brushing shoulders with the Thunderbolts, Big Hero 6 marveling at the skyline of New York.
For once, they weren't soldiers plotting war. They were survivors.
But not everyone's peace was whole.
---
The Truth Revealed
Silvanna pulled Vanessa aside into a quieter chamber. The weight in her eyes betrayed the words she'd been holding back for too long.
"Vanessa," Silvanna began, her voice trembling despite her Avenger's composure, "there's something you need to know about your power. It… it wasn't originally yours."
Vanessa frowned, her crimson aura flickering faintly. "What do you mean?"
Silvanna exhaled. "The energy you wield—it belonged to your mother. Elizabeth. She transferred it to you before she left, to protect you. That's why your abilities are unlike anyone else's."
Vanessa's breath caught. "My mother… she gave me this? Then where is she now? Why didn't she ever come back?"
The room grew unbearably heavy. Silvanna's voice dropped to a whisper.
"She's gone. Elizabeth died not long after writing that letter—the one Juggernaut received. She died when you were just eleven."
Vanessa's knees nearly buckled. Her hand pressed against the wall as if the truth itself had struck her harder than any battle. "She's… gone? All this time I thought—"
Silvanna gripped her shoulders, tears glinting in her eyes. "She gave her life so you could live. So you could carry the power forward."
For a long moment, Vanessa said nothing, only staring at her trembling hands. At last, she whispered:
"Then I'll carry it. For her."
---
The New Arc Awakens
The hall suddenly shook. Screens lit up across the Avengers Tower with urgent signals from SHIELD satellites. Nick Fury's voice cut through the chaos:
"Attention. We've got a situation."
On the displays appeared grainy images—an unfamiliar symbol carved into the ruins of the Black Serpents' stronghold. But it wasn't Serpent in origin. It was older, darker. A mark not seen in centuries.
Doctor Strange appeared in the hall, his cloak fluttering. "That is not the Serpents' legacy. This… is something far more dangerous. The Overlord was only a vessel. What lies beneath the surface is waking."
The room went silent. Every hero present felt the weight of those words.
Vanessa wiped her tears, her aura flaring once more. "Then we'll be ready. Whatever's coming—we won't let the world fall again."
The camera pans out from Avengers Tower, the city lights flickering against the night sky. In the distance, a shadow stirs—a silhouette of the next great threat.